Lazic and Jokanovic announced appeal: Even if Trajkovic had pleaded guilty, this act is not a war crime

After Sladjan Trajkovic was sentenced to ten years in prison, his lawyers stated that the verdict concerns alleged mistreatment of Albanian civilians at a cemetery in Vucitrn. Zivojin Jokanovic emphasized that, even if guilt were admitted, such an act cannot be classified as a war crime, while Bogdan Lazic announced an appeal to the Court of Appeals.

“The defense expresses strong disagreement with this verdict because the court did not properly and fully evaluate all the evidence, but instead accepted the position in point C that the accused, Sladjan, is guilty based on assumptions. Therefore, I believe that there is almost an equality between the prosecution and the court, as the saying goes: the judge prosecutes you, the judge judges you. After the written verdict is issued, we will certainly file an appeal against the conviction on point C, which concerns the accusation that the defendant mistreated Albanian civilians at the cemetery in Vucitrn. Only on that point, he received 10 years,” Lazic said.

Zivojin Jokanovic stated that, even if Trajkovic had admitted guilt for the act for which he was convicted, “mistreatment” is a broad term and does not necessarily constitute a war crime.

“In today’s verdict announcement, the court allegedly found that the accused mistreated Albanian civilians at the cemetery in Vucitrn. Speaking as a lawyer with over 60 years of experience in all forms of law: even if that were proven, even if it were true and he admitted it, it cannot be a war crime. A war crime under the Law, Article 14 of the Criminal Code of the FRY, presupposes, at minimum, serious bodily harm to the victim. ‘Mistreatment’ is such a broad term that I don’t even know where it begins or ends. This verdict cannot and should not stand. It could only serve to intimidate Serbs. Anyone who has worn a uniform, been fit for the army, been in the police, or been a prison guard could be accused whenever someone wishes. I fear that this serves something I call genocide, which has not ceased since 1999. I remind the public that even genocide does not have a statute of limitations,” Jokanovic said.

Sladjan Trajkovic was sentenced today by the Special Department of the Basic Court in Pristina to ten years in prison for an alleged war crime against the civilian population in the municipality of Vucitrn during 1999.

Trajkovic worked for ten years in the Kosovo Police, where he passed all security checks required for service. He was one of about 600 police officers from northern Kosovo who removed their police uniforms on November 5, 2022, in protest against violence and terror against Serbs in that part of Kosovo. He was arrested on December 15 and charged with a war crime against the civilian population.